Published on 12, July, 2020
I've been trying to get a post diagnosis assessment, I only found out about them from being on here, I was never offered one when first diagnosed, I was just left to get on with it. I tried the group in North Wales that was supposed to help and they were useless, couldn't get their heads around my very low tech skills, didn't listen, gas lit me on one occaision and ended up being a human google pointing me towards "help" that wasn't even available in Wales. It ended up with two women sat at my kitchen table with a lap top showing two smart phones I could buy from my local tescos and this was after weeks of phone calls and emails around various agencies, I felt like a lost parcel!
On saturday I bumped into some collectors from the local mencap group and asked them if mencap could help me, they assured me that they would, so I emailed them and they can't and tried to send me here and to the above group that are a total waste of time and public money.
Now I feel, well thats that, no help, no interest, all the bodies that are supposed to help with ASC are closed to me apart from these boards. I am able to advocate for myself, so I could write to my Assembly member or MP or both, but can I be bothered? What do I expect them to do? The answer is nothing, the last time I wrote to my assembly member I had no reply at all and my MP did say they'd recieved my email, but the only action that was taken was to pass all my details onto to head office so as they could advertise at me.
Is there anywhere for an intelligent 62 year old woman to get any help?
I'm wondering if we can break down your problem into littler pieces?
There is probably not much I can do about post-diagnosis support, but maybe we can help with some of the smaller things.
1. Are you looking for a simple phone?
There is a Nokia 3210 which still has a screen, but doesn't run Facebook and all that shenanigans.
It's about £70.
It is meant to have annoying beeps when pushing buttons, but that can be switched off (maybe with our help if you got one)
2. What do you want computer training for? Maybe we can break that down?
When I need a new phone I will think about the one you suggest, provided I don't have a melt down and vomit all over the place.
I've tried looking at various courses and apparently my problems aren't ones they feel able to deal with, especially because of my age and inability to cope with strip lights, or groups for that matter.
One of the problems IT teachers seem to have with me aside from the physical limitations is that I don't want to do things like facebook and all the other social media stuff.
Its not been just the one knockback but decades of them.
Thanks for trying to help though.